Shovel



F. D. RUGG June 24, 1930.

SHOVEL Filed Dec 8, 1927 Patented .lune 24, 1930 UNITED STT GFFCE SHOVELApplication led December S, 1927.

This invention relates to a novel and iniproved shovel for handling snowand other materials. The invention will be best understood by referenceto the following description, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings of one specific enibodirnent thereof, wnile itsscope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shovel exeniplifying the invention;

Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the shovel tipped up to show thebottoni;

F ig. 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale of one corner of the blade,illustrating' the construction of the sheath;

Fig. 4 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of the shovel., on anenlarged scale; and

Fig. 5 is a detail, sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on line 5-5 ofFig. e.

Referring to the drawings, and to the einbodiment of the invention whichis selected for exempliiication, there is shown a shovel having a bladecoinprisin T a bottoni 10, two side walls 11, and a rear wall 12. In thepresent example, the bottoni is a thin., sheet nietal plate, which isAlight and yet sufliciently strong, especially owing to the way in 3owhich it is related to the other parts, as will presently appear. rlhesheet metal plate also has an advantage over wood in this situation,because wood is apt to check and split. The sheet metal has the furtheradvantage that it keeps the shovel in square better than the usualwooden bottoni. The side and rear walls, however', herein. are of wood,which is well suited to the purpose. The bottom plate is convenientlysecured to the side walls (see 40 Fig. 2) by fastening elements such asnails 13, driven through the plate and into the side walls. In thepresent example, the plate eX- tends beneath the rear wall, and thenceupwardly along the rear face of the latter, in

which it is conveniently secured by fastening elements, such as nails14. ln cutting the plate, tabs 15 are left at the rear corners, andthese extend rearwardly beyond the rear wall to the rear ends of theside walls to which they are shown secured, thereby rein- Selial No.238,522.

forcing the latter, and aiding in their resistance to wear.

Extending transversely of and beneath the bottoni plate is a bar 16,conveniently inade of wood, and preferably secured to the bottom plateand to the side walls, as by sonic of the fastening eleinents 13. Thisbar reinforces the bottoni plate, herein adjacent its front end, andgreatly adds to the rigidity of the blade. The front edge of this bar isbeveled as at 1"?, and it is provided with a sheet metal sheath 18, toreinforce and protect the saine, and to provide a cutting edge 19. Thethickness of this sheath is greatly exaggerated in Fig fr, because ofthe small scale. rEhe sheath is folded over the bar to present two walls2O and 21, which embrace its upper and lower surfaces, and these wallsare secured to the bar, as by fastening eleinents, herein rivets 22,which entend through said walls and through said bar, as well as througha portion of the bottoin plate 10, which is odset downwardly and extendsbeneath the wall 20. The lower surface of the reinforcing bar 16 in thepresent example is perfectly flat, and the lower wall 21 of the sheathis not set into the bar, as this is unnecessary, said wall being so thinthat it presents no substantial obstruction at its rear edge.

Herein, the lower wall 21 of the sheath is extended upwardly at each end(see Fig. 2), along the sides of the side walls 11, and thence inwardlyand downwardly (see Fig. to present a corner reinforcing tab 23, whichis conveniently secured in place as by one of the rivets 22. In thisway, the cor ner is greatly strengthened, and its resistance to wear andthe effects of shocks is increased. It adds greatly to the durability ofthe shovel.

The front ends of the side walls 11 slope rearwardly and upwardly; theyare beveled as at 24, and provided with sheet metal sheaths 25, havinginner and outer walls 26 and 27, which embrace the associated side wall,and are suitably secured thereto, as by nails 27. Herein, these sheaths,at their forward ends, are encompassed by the tabs 23 of the frontsheath 18, so that one sheath reinforces the other adjacent the corner.

The rear wall, in the present embodiment, slopes upwardly andrearwardly, and is appropriately secured to the side walls by providingeach of the latter with a groove 28, which receives the adjacent end ofthe rear wall, fastening elelnents 29 being driven through the sidewalls into the ends of the rear wall. Two runners 30, herein cylindricaltubes, are disposed beneath the blade, and, as shown, extend thencerearwardly and upwardly along the outer face of the rear wall, andcontinue beyond the latter rearwardly and upwardly to presenthandle bars31, to which a handle 1:52 is conveniently attached by flattening thetubes, as at 33, to receive bolts 34 for the attachment of the handle.The forward ends oll the runners are suitably secured to the blade, asby flattening and offsetting the runners at 35, to receive bolts 3()extending through the runners, through the bar 1G, and through the plate10. The tubes are securely united with the rear wall, as by bolts 3Textending through the tubes and through the rear wall. The bottom issupported and prevented from sagging b v bars 38 (see Fig. 5),interposed between the runners and the bottoni plate. These bars areheld against lateral displacement by being provided with grooves 39,which receive the tubes 30. Herein, the bars are rabbeted as at 40, toreceive the rear edge of the transverse bar 16.

Inasmuch as the runners are made entirely of metal, I am enabled toavoid the use ot' the metal shoes usually employed on the bottoms ofwooden runners. The all metal runner is much stronger and more durablethan the composite runner, especially the metal shoes heretoforeemployed are apt to break away from the wooden runners, particularlyafter they have become worn. Furthermore, by making the handle barsintegral extensions of the runners, the structure is much stronger thanis the case with separate handles bolted to the runners or to thebottom.

'hen the shovel is in use, the user grasps the handle 32, and thruststhe shovel forward, tipping its front end downwardly to cause thecutting edge 19 to engage the surface which is being cleared otl snow orother material. vWhen the shovel has gathered up a sufficient load, therunners are allowed to rest flatwise on the ground or plat-form, and theshovel is pushed to a place where the load is to be deposited.

Having thus described one embodiment of the invention, but withoutlimiting myself: thereto. what I claim and desire by Letters Patent tosecure is:

1. In a shovel, the combination of a blade, a rear wall, and a pair ofrunners, each cornprising a continuous bar disposed in part beneath saidblade and extending thence rearwardly and upwardly behind said rear walland continuing therebeyoud rearwardly and upwardly, fastening meanssecuring said bars to said blade and to said rear wall, portions of saidbars rearwardly of thin front ends being spaced from the bottom of saidblade, and blade supporting means interposed between said portions andthe bottom of said blade.

2. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheetmaterial, a bar extending transversely of and beneath said plate fromits front end rearwardly, and a pair of runners disposed beneath saidplate and secured to said bar.

3. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheetmaterial, a bar extending transversely of and beneath said plate fromits front end rearwardly, a pair of runners disposed beneath said plateand beneath said bar, and fastening means extending through saidrunners, through said bar and through said plate.

4. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheetmaterial, a rear wall, and a pair of runners disposed in part beneathsaid plate and extending thence rearwardly and upwardly along the outerface of said rear wall, said plate extending upwardly along said wall.

5. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheetmaterial, a rear wall, and a pair of runners disposed in part beneathsaid plate and extending thence rearwardly and upwardly along the outerface of said rear wall, said plate extending rearwardly beneath saidwall and` thence upwardly along the rear face of said wall, andfastening means securing the upwardly extending portion of said plate tosaid Wall.

6. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and acontinuous, one-piece sheath extending across the front of said bottoni,and thence part way about and enr bracing each wall.

7. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a sheathhaving up r and lower walls embracing the front edite o f said bottom,one of said sheath walls being extended to form tabs which are wrappedpart way about said side walls.

8. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a sheathhaving upper and lower walls embracing the front edge of said bottom,one ot' said sheath walls being extended to form tabs which are wrappedpart way about said side walls, the ends of said tabs being directedtoward each other along said upper wall.

9. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a sheathhaving up r and lower walls embracing the front e ge of said bottom,said lower wall presenting tabs which extend upward on the outer facesof said side walls, thence across said side walls, thence downward onthe inner faces of said side walls and thence inward on the upper faceof said upper wall.

l0. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, a sheathhaving upper and lower walls emb-racing the front edge of said bottom,one of said sheath walls being eX- tended to form tabs which are wrappedpart way about said side walls, and fastening elements which extendthrough said upper and lower walls, through said bottom and through saidtabs.

l1. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls having upwardlyand rearwardly sloping front ends, sheaths having inner and outer wallsembracing said sloping front ends of said side walls, and a sheathextending across the front of said bottoni and extended to embrace theirstmentioned sheath.

12. In a shovel, the combination of Wooden side and rear walls, a sheetmetal bottom plate extending beneath said walls and upwardly behind saidrear wall, fastening elements ext-ending through said plate into saidside and rear Walls, a pair ot runners beneath said plate, and a handlerearwardly of said plate.

13. In a shovel, the combination of a sheet metal bottoni plate, awooden reinforcing bar beneath and secured to said plate, and a sheetmetal sheath about the front edge of said bar.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK D. RUGG.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,766,691. Granted June 24, 1930, to

FRANK D. RUGG.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,line 7l, claim 1, for the word "thin" read "their"; and that the saidLetters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the samemay conform te the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of August, A. D. 1930.

Wm. A. Kinnan, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

